By Antony Sguazzin
Feb 24, 2021, 8:15 PM – Updated on Feb 24, 2021, 8:36 PM
Word Count: 131
“This is probably to a large extent due to the variant” of the virus that was first identified in the country, he said on a webinar on Wednesday.

The mutation, known by scientists as B.1.351, was identified in the country last last year and has become the dominant strain in the nation. With over 1.5 million known coronavirus infections and almost 50,000 deaths, South Africa has been the hardest hit country on the continent.

On Thursday the South African government will release the results of a study into the transmissibility of the variant, whether it can cause re-infection and whether it causes more severe disease.

(Updates with details on the mutation and study results in last two paragraphs)